Car shaking/vibrating and loss of power
 

Hey, I just picked up this car and pulled the timing back from more than 30 (couldn't even be read!) down to 10 for now. I also did plugs/wires/oil/coolant etc etc beforehand. After pulling the timing back from a rediculous level to what it should be, while the car is cold it runs alright, but when it warms up (im assuming warm based on driving time, temp gauge doesn't work), the car vibrates a whole bunch, has a huge power loss, and sounds alot choppier. In addition, I hear a slight ticking coming out of the exhaust. Ideas/suggestions? Thanks.

RE: Car shaking/vibrating and loss of power
 

my best bet is that the disty NAD to be that far because the previous abuser installed the disty off-kilter...

go through the proper timing steps and remove the disty. Make sure its lined up properly

RE: Car shaking/vibrating and loss of power
 

i agree sounds like its a tooth off

RE: Car shaking/vibrating and loss of power
 

definitely possible, when i got the car the dist bolt wasnt even tight so who knows how much it could have jumped :/ i'll see if i can grab some big lights to take a look at it tonight, thanks for the replies

RE: Car shaking/vibrating and loss of power
 

what do you mean by a tooth off? i brought the crank to TDC and checked to see where the rotor was and it was at #1 and the firing order is correct, i thought if anything was off the car wouldn't run... the car runs perfectly fine and pulls great up until it warms up, and it doesn't happen everytime, even if it was timing wouldn't it have to be a constant problem? my guess is leaning more towards MAS or o2 sensor, something electrical messing up moreso than something mechanical

also, what should fuel pressure be at idle? mines at 30 PSI according to the gauge thats in the car, the previous owner put a fuel pump in but i didn't see a regulator in anywhere, and it smells like fuel when its running (and 30psi is around normal i think) so that too leads me to believe o2 sensor because if it's not being read/not cycling the ecu dumps fuel. thoughts?

RE: Car shaking/vibrating and loss of power
 

Run it for codes an see what u come up with

RE: Car shaking/vibrating and loss of power
 

I've been trying to find someone in my area with an OBDI reader but have been unsuccessful so far :( The CEL was on and off for a while, hasn't been around in a bit but it's possible whatever it was for took a crap at the same time I was working on the car.

RE: Car shaking/vibrating and loss of power
 

I believe that your fuel pressure should be up a little bit also. When I asked where mine should be at I was told somewhere in the range of 38-42. Could be wrong though....

RE: Car shaking/vibrating and loss of power
 

isn't that at WOT (with no vacuum on the regulator) and not at idle?

RE: Car shaking/vibrating and loss of power
 

you dont NEED a OBDI scan tool. you can do it the old fashioned way with a piece of wire

find your EEC connector
http://memimage.cardomain.net/member...116_8_full.jpg

get access to it and look for the GRAY connector with a single wire
http://memimage.cardomain.net/member...116_9_full.jpg

Pull this connector out of the cluster and insert a wire. run that wire to a negative source.... (ground)
http://memimage.cardomain.net/member...16_10_full.jpg
hop in the car and turn the key to the ON position and watch the way the CEL blinks

here is a good write up on how to read the codes from PerformanceProbe.com
(keep in mind the steps on this page are for a probe, the codes will be different. use this only to referance HOW to read the CEL blinks)

post what you find as far as the codes go, and we will let you know what they mean